East Coast

Gorey Harbour

Gorey harbour, located at the foot of the headland that is the site of the magnificent castle of Mont Orgueil, has to be one of the most beautiful locations in the British Isles to wet a line. The inner harbour is strewn with mooring ropes and as such is virtually impossible to fish, but the outer wall is very popular with local anglers. Because of the high levels of tourist activity in the area, most angling is done either at very first light, or in darkness. The rocky outcrop at the rear of the castle can be fished low water up for a number of species that come into the area to feed during quieter times. The rocks stretch around the coast in a northerly direction and are well known as a hot spot for plugging and spinning with metal lures for Bass. Although the waters here are not deep, good catches of Conger are regularly taken, with fish to thirty pounds always likely. In the winter evenings the pier is very popular with anglers jigging for Squid under the lights, and specimens to over four pounds are often landed.

Species

Bass, Conger, Mackerel, Rays, and Squid.

Bait

Flatfish are occasionally taken from the pier head on worm, with Rays also caught on a variety of fish baits. Bass can be caught from the rocks behind the castle, normally on spinning or plugging tackle. Conger will take fish baits at night fishing low water up from the rocks to the left of the slipway. Squid are present usually sometime between November and March, and are normally taken on jigs.

Tackle

Standard beachcasting gear for fishing the pier head, but stronger tackle required for the conger from the rocks. Light spinning rods for plugging and for fishing squid jigs.

Getting There

From St. Helier take the A3 Gorey Coast road, following the shoreline past Grouville Bay until the castle comes into view. There is parking available at the pier and in the village which is operated on a pay and display basis.

Grouville Bay

The Royal Bay of Grouville stretches from Gorey in the north to La Rocque Point to the south and because of its clean sandy beaches and sheltered aspect, is very popular with both tourists and locals for swimming and sunbathing. Most of the interest from an angling viewpoint centres on the reef formations around the Seymour Tower area where low tide uncovers a huge expanse of heads and gutters that teem with bait of all descriptions. The bay as a whole is recognised as a nursery area for Bass and one or two other species, and is one of the most popular low water venues for those searching out Lobster, Crab, Ormers, and sand-eel. This year has seen the enlargement of the shellfish industry in the bay to include artificial mussel beds that are easily recognisable with their lines of poles placed to provide home to these molluscs.

As with most shallow water marks in Jersey, the bay, and in particular, the Seymour Tower area, is subject to strong tidal flow during the ebb and flow, and because of this, anglers wishing to fish the reefs and gutters should be fully versed with the nature and direction of the flood tide. Sightseers have been trapped by gutters filling behind them as they return from walks out to the Tower, and in extreme cases, have had to be rescued from the Tower by the emergency services. Whilst these occurrences are regrettable, they should not prevent anyone from fishing what is a terrific area for Bass providing they do so with caution.

Species

The bay is home to many immature fish of several species but from a rod angling aspect, Bass represent the best target with fish running from school sized fish of one to two pounds, up to fully grown adults into double figures.

Bait

The area is alive with natural bait such as crab, worm and sand-eel and any of these will work well when fishing the tide up. Plugging and spinning with shallow diving and surface lures is very successful among the beds of kelp and gutters.

Tackle

A light Bass rod coupled with either a small multiplier or fixed spool reel should cope with any eventualities. A decent pair of chest waders is an essential to enable the angler to fish the area safely. A decent pair of polarised sunglasses is an essential item for fish spotting through the surface glare.

Getting There

From St. Helier, take the A3 along the east coast road, following the shoreline until Grouville Bay appears below Mont Orgeuil Castle. Car parking is available at various points along the bay, with some spots requiring a pay and display sticker. Public toilets and other facilities are to be found in the area.